UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The UN Security Council will hold closed consultations Tuesday on North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, diplomats said Thursday.Britain, France and Germany called for a council meeting following the recent series of missile launches, which are a violation of UN sanctions.The council session will take place following Saturday's meeting of US and North Korean officials in Stockholm. It will be the first US-North Korean meeting since talks broke down in February at

NEW YORK (AP) -- Low-price fashion chain Forever 21, a one-time hot destination for teen shoppers that fell victim to its own rapid expansion and changing consumer tastes, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.The privately held company based in Los Angeles says it will close up to 178 stores. The company once had more than 800 stores in 57 countries. Forever 21 joins Barneys New York and Diesel USA in a growing list of retailers seeking bankruptcy protection as they battle online compe

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday that he expects the whistleblower at the heart of impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump to testify “very soon.”“All that needs to be done, at this point, is to make sure that the attorneys that represent the whistleblower get the clearances that they need to be able to accompany the whistleblower to testimony,” said Schiff, D-Calif., “and that we figure out the log

PARIS (AP) -- Jacques Chirac, a two-term French president who was the first leader to acknowledge France's role in the Holocaust and defiantly opposed the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, died Thursday at age 86.His son-in-law Frederic Salat-Baroux told The Associated Press that Chirac died ``peacefully, among his loved ones.'' He did not give a cause of death, though Chirac had had repeated health problems since leaving office in 2007. His death was announced to lawmakers sitting in Franc

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Now that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has launched an official impeachment inquiry of US President Donald Trump, what's next?In some ways, the investigations of the Trump administration won't look too different from those underway in the House, but now they'll have a focus on the Ukraine situation and an urgency to act.Pelosi embarked on the impeachment inquiry she had long resisted after an uproar from Democrats in Congress. It stemmed from a whistleblower's complaint of Trump

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- President Donald Trump stood before world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and rejected "globalism" and liberal immigration policies while exhorting the world to act against Iran's "bloodlust.'' His speech and subsequent meetings had to compete with news from Washington that the House is moving forward with an impeachment inquiry.In his address, Trump took aim at China, Venezuela and what he called a "growing cottage industry" of radic

NEW YORK (AP) -- Faced with growing tumult at home and abroad, President Donald Trump heads into his three-day visit to the United Nations this week hoping to lean on strained alliances while fending off questions about whether he sought foreign help to damage a political rival.Trump's latest UN trip comes after nearly three years of an "America First" foreign policy that has unsettled allies and shredded multinational pacts.A centerpiece of this year's UN schedule will be a Monday ses

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The planet is getting hotter, and tackling that climate peril will grab the spotlight as world leaders gather for their annual meeting at the United Nations this week facing an undeniable backdrop: rising tensions from the Persian Gulf to Afghanistan and increasing nationalism, inequality and intolerance.Growing fear of military action, especially in response to recent attacks on Saudi oil installations that are key to world energy supplies, hangs over this year's General

SHENZHEN (AP) -- Long before President Donald Trump threatened to cut off Huawei's access to US technology, the Chinese telecom equipment maker was pouring money into research that reduces its need for American suppliers.Huawei's founder says instead of crippling the company, the export curbs are making it a tougher competitor by forcing managers to focus resources on their most important products.Little-known to Americans, Huawei Technologies Ltd. is the No. 2 smartphone brand worldwide and the

South Korea is culling thousands of pigs after confirming African swine fever at a farm near its border with North Korea, which had an outbreak in May. South Korea's agriculture ministry said the country's first case of the highly contagious disease was confirmed Tuesday in tests on five pigs that died at the farm in the city of Paju. The government has vowed stern quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the disease, which threatens a massive industry that involves 6,000 farms raising more

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump declared Monday it "looks'' like Iran was behind the explosive attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. But he stressed that military retaliation was not yet on the table in response to the strike against a key US Mideast ally.Oil prices soared worldwide amid the damage in Saudi Arabia and fresh Middle East war concerns. But Trump put the brakes on any talk of quick military action earlier he had said the US was "locked and loaded'' and he said

LONDON (AP) -- A unique solid gold toilet that was part of an art exhibit was stolen early Saturday from the magnificent home in England where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born.The toilet, valued at roughly 1 million pounds ($1.25 million), was the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. It had been installed only two days earlier at Blenheim Palace, west of London, after previously being shown to appreciative audiences at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Police said the toil

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday abruptly forced out John Bolton, his hawkish national security adviser with whom he had strong disagreements on Iran, Afghanistan and a cascade of other global challenges.The sudden shake-up marked the latest departure of a prominent voice of dissent from the president's inner circle, as Trump has grown less accepting of advice contrary to his instincts. It also comes at a trying moment for Trump on the world stage, weeks ahead of the United N

VENICE (AP) -- Todd Phillips’ dark comic book film “Joker” won the Golden Lion Award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on Saturday and cemented its place as a legitimate contender for the rest of the awards season.Jury president Lucretia Martel announced the winners of the prestigious award during a ceremony on the Lido. The Golden Lion previously put a spotlight on films that went on to be major awards season players, such as “Roma” and the film academ

Typhoon winds toppled trees, grounded planes and left thousands of South Korean homes without electricity on Saturday as a powerful storm system brushed up against the Korean Peninsula.Strong winds and rain from Typhoon Lingling caused power outages in more than 31,000 homes on the southern resort island of Jeju and in southern mainland regions, South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety said. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said there were no immediate reports of typhoon-re